Chapter 198: Turmoil!
At the Johnson family estate, the mood was incredibly upbeat among the core family members. Matthew, who was looking at the images on his phone, couldn't contain his excitement. "Ha-ha! Who would've thought Ernest and Karen would actually pull it off? Things just got interesting!"
Lawrence added with a snicker, "I wonder how Sarah Johnson feels knowing she's been sold out by her own parents? Just the thought is exhilarating!"
Granpa Johnson hummed with pride. "We owe it all to Andy's brainwave! What a great strategy!"
Andy quickly stood up, offering a modest reply to Granpa Johnson. "All credit goes to what you taught me, Grandpa. I just played a little trick, that's all."
Though he spoke with humility, pride was swelling uncontrollably inside him. During his detention, he had been consumed by thoughts of revenge against Ryder Clark and Sarah Johnson. Then, a cellmate's suggestion had sparked a cruel plan to tarnish Sarah Johnson's reputation in Houston.
The idea was simple. Search online for explicit images of women and hire a professional to superimpose Sarah Johnson's face onto them. Then, disseminate the altered photos far and wide. However, this approach had significant limitations.
Firstly, although they would be professionally done, a close inspection of the images could reveal flaws that might invite skepticism if spread too openly.
Secondly, doing that was illegal, and if he was caught as the source of dissemination, he might find himself embroiled in a lawsuit or even behind bars.
During all this, Ernest and his wife had come seeking help, handing him a golden opportunity on a silver platter.
If he could just plant a virus in Sarah's computer and use it to spread those photographs, it would all appear to be Sarah's "personal" indiscretion.
And thus, it would be even more believable!
With a smirk of schadenfreude, Abigail said, "Hmph! Miss High and Mighty Sarah is always acting so pure. How long will she keep up the act after this bombshell drops?
“And that scumbag Ryder Clark—with his wife's reputation in tatters, he'll surely be scrambling to distance himself from Sarah immediately!"
Lawrence nodded. "Absolutely. Ryder's the type to cut and run when the going gets tough. This kind of scandal is too much for any man to handle.
“Once he divorces Sarah, he'll cut ties with our family for good. We won't have to be embarrassed by having him as a son-in-law anymore!"
Matthew looked worried. "That's all well and good, but Ryder is a sly fox. What if he turns the tables on us and we end up worse off?"
Andy chimed in confidently, "Don't worry, Dad. I've already paid some people online to start a smear campaign about Sarah's 'private' photo leak and implicate Ryder too.
“Don't forget, our family's housewarming party is in three days, but so is their third wedding anniversary.
“I'll make sure that in three days, they won't be celebrating an anniversary—it'll be the day they announce their divorce!"
Grandpa Johnson's face lit up with joy at those words.
He promptly showered Andy with praise.
Abigail, who saw this, felt the sting of jealousy.
Ever since Andy had proposed the housewarming party at the hospital, Grandpa had been giving her the cold shoulder, listening only to Andy.
Now, she could see for herself how Andy, in his quest against Ryder and Sarah, was willing to stoop to such underhanded tactics.
This made Abigail increasingly wary.
In her mind, she dreaded the day they turned against each other. Andy would definitely become a formidable threat...
Meanwhile, social and news networks across Houston suddenly exploded.
The cause of the frenzy was none other than Sarah Johnson's intimate photos that had been leaked.
This scandal was bound to generate buzz, since Sarah Johnson was a recognized name in Houston, hailed as the most beautiful woman in the city.
And since Sarah had made quite a few enemies in the business sector over the years, those adversaries wasted no time in kicking her while she was down.
"Ha! Look at Sarah Johnson now! This couldn't have happened to a better person. I'm sharing this everywhere. Let's see you light up the internet!"
"These pics are obviously fake. Someone's clearly targeting her, but hey, doesn't matter who you are, I'm all for stirring the pot!"
"I wouldn't have pegged Sarah Johnson as the type beneath that prim exterior. I wonder how much one night with her costs..."
At that moment, inside the president's office at SR Group, Sarah Johnson sat pale-faced and trembling, staring at an avalanche of messages about herself on her computer and phone.
What on earth was happening?
Just half an hour earlier, her computer had malfunctioned, bizarrely sending those disgusting images to all her social media contacts.
The photos had also been emailed to every employee at SR Group!
It was too late to retract them.
She had clarified immediately via email and on various platforms that she hadn’t sent the photos and it was the result of a computer glitch, but what did it matter?
The photos had already spread like wildfire across the internet.
Comments sections were overwhelmingly filled with insults directed at her.
Some "insiders" even asserted with certainty that the photos were genuine, claiming they had taken some of them!
Worse still, some had the gall to send her messages like, "Feeling frustrated, sweetheart? Fancy a hookup?" and "Didn't know you were into that, Ms. Johnson. I can satisfy you, no problem."
Sarah Johnson, who valued her reputation above all else, could hardly bear it?
Helpless tears streamed onto her office desk.
Fury.
Indignation.
Helplessness.
Fear.
A storm of emotions raged within her.
Standing across from her, assistant Emily exclaimed angrily with concern, "Sarah! Someone's definitely behind this. You've got to keep your cool! Right now, the most important thing is to find out who's pulling the strings! We..."
"Stop!"
Sarah Johnson cut Emily off, a faint smile creasing the corners of her mouth. "Please, carry on with your work. I'm fine."
"But Sarah, you..."
"Out!"
"Okay... okay..."
Emily bit her lip, sighed, and stepped out of the office...
Ring! Ring!
Just then, Sarah Johnson's phone suddenly rang. It was Ryder Clark.
"Hello..."
Sarah picked up the phone.
She heard Ryder's anxious voice. "Are you at the office? I'm coming over right now!"
"Don't bother!" Sarah replied coolly.
"What? Why?"
"Because... you won't be seeing me again..."
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